The Vikings drafted tight end Irv Smith Jr. for a reason. The could-have-been first-round pick is the hybrid tight end that has taken the league by storm, and so far in training camp, he’s impressed the guy who’ll be tossing him the ball.
“He’s come in and done everything right,” Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins said Wednesday. “He’s worked hard, he’s shown that he can roll. He’s got great movement skills and he’ll do whatever is asked of him. He’s a great teammate, and I think he is who we hoped he would be as a player and as a person. That’s really all you can ask for. Then it becomes just a day-to-day grind of teaching him the offense.”
It will be interesting to see how much playing time Smith Jr. gets with Kyle Rudolph likely to start at tight end. Will he see more reps with the Vikings lacking receiver talent after Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs?
As preseason heats up, Smith Jr. is certainly a player to keep an eye on.
